Portuguese fiber producer Altri SGPS S.A. has agreed to acquire a majority interest in Swiss clean technology company AeoniQ to support the commercial-scale development of a biodegradable cellulose-based filament designed to replace polyester and nylon.
Category: Footwear

StockX Names Senior Director of Customer Community and Engagement
Brendan Dunne will oversee editorial content and deepen the company’s connection with its audience of primarily Millennials, Gen Z, and increasingly, Generation Alpha. Previously, Dunne worked at Complex, overseeing editorial strategy, partnerships and content.

Cascale Appoints Former Nike Senior Exec as Interim CEO
Harsh Saini, who currently serves on Cascale’s Board of Directors, will lead the non-profit in advancing its key 2025 strategic priorities while it continues its global search for a permanent CEO.

Puma Extends Partnership with Borussia Dortmund
Puma’s partnership with Borussia Dortmund (BVD), the second most decorated German football team, with eight domestic league championships, five DFB-Pokals and six DFL-Supercups, began with the 2012/13 season.

EXEC: Columbia Sportswear Delivers Dour Outlook on Columbia Brand Weakness in U.S.
On its second-quarter analyst call, Tim Boyle, Columbia Sportswear’s chairman, CEO and president, warned that U.S. wholesale orders for the flagship Columbia brand would likely remain down at least through the first half of 2026 as efforts to revive demand for the brand are being undermined by conservative orders from retailers in the face of proposed tariffs.

Allbirds Secures $75M Credit Line, Launches Stock Sale Program
The footwear brand secured a new $75 million asset-based revolving credit facility while introducing a program to sell up $50 million in stock with TD Cowen. The financing provides additional liquidity and financial flexibility to support plans to reignite growth.

Report: Back-to-School Expected to Benefit from ‘Resilient’ Consumer
Placer.ai reported that overall U.S. retail traffic in early 2025 shows modest growth so far this year, boding well for the upcoming back-to-school season. Traditional back-to-school categories, such as sportswear and footwear, are expected to remain strong.

Lululemon Sues Costco Over Alleged Copycat Yoga Pants
The brand is seeking a court order to prevent Costco from manufacturing, importing, advertising, and selling the alleged LULU counterfeit products. It also wants Costco to pull all ads that promote the products and is asking for compensation for lost profits.

Caleres Amends and Extends Credit Agreement
The parent company of Famous Footwear and the Naturalizer, Vionic, Allen Edmonds, Blowfish Malibu, and Sam Edelman brands, has entered into an amendment of its credit agreement, which extends its senior secured asset-based revolving credit facility to June 2030.

Big 5 Sporting Goods to Go Private via Acquisition by Specialty Golf Retailer and PE Firm
The retailer has entered into a definitive merger agreement to be acquired by a partnership comprised of Worldwide Golf and Capitol Hill Group, in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $112.7 million in enterprise value, including the assumption of roughly $71.4 million in credit line borrowings as of June 29, 2025.

EXEC: Citi Survey Finds Adidas’ Brand Perception Catching Up to Nike
Citi Research’s latest quarterly Global Sporting Goods Survey found that Nike out-ranked Adidas in terms of intent to purchase and is the athletic brand consumers perceive as the most innovative in North America. However, Adidas tied Nike for the highest Net Promoter Score (NPS) among athletic brands in June, highlighting the popularity of Adidas’ Terrace franchises

EXEC: Nike, Inc. Forcing Australia’s SurfStitch Into Liquidation
Nike claims SurfStitch owes it $237,760 and is demanding that the company be placed into liquidation. Edwin Narayan and Domenic Calabretta, from Mackay Goodwin, were appointed as administrators earlier this month to sort out the retailer’s finances.

Saucony Opens London Flagship in Covent Garden
The store, spanning 3,695 square feet over two floors, is located at 4 James Street and was designed to serve as a hub for the local running community.

EXEC: Nike Inc. CEO Expects $1 Billion Hit from Tariffs; Sees Turnaround Progressing as Planned
Nike, Inc. continues to face headwinds in its turnaround efforts, including an estimated $1 billion hit from tariffs. However, the company’s first-quarter guidance came in better than expected. Nike officials told analysts that its steps to reengage wholesale partners are paying off, with holiday bookings up. Shares of Nike in mid-day trading Friday, June 27, were up about 17 percent.

Nike, Inc. Beats Wall Street Estimates for Q4 Top- and Bottom-Line Declines
While the company produced a beat on both the top- and bottom-line consensus Wall Street estimates for the period, many analysts appeared more interested in the fiscal 2026 full-year guidance, which was not provided in the initial release of Q4 and full-year figures.